Silo construction



Patented Aug. 11, 1953 UNITED, STATES. PATENT- OFFICE SILO CONSTRUCTION GlennV. Gladvillc, Massillon, Ohio Application July 13, 1950, SerialNo. 173,603:

6 Claims. I

The invention relates to the construction of silos and similar structures, and more particularly to a construction in which conversion staves or slabs are provided at a point intermediate the bottom and top of the structure, whereby the lower portion of the structure may be built of relatively thick staves or slabs and the upper portion of thinner staves or slabs so that a comparatively high silo or the like may be safely constructed.

Under present practice it is common to construct silos of concrete staves or slabs which are relatively thin and tall, these slabs being usually about 30 inches high and only 2 inches thick. While such staves or slabs are used for building a safe structure up to a certain height, it is not practical to build extremely tall silos or the like entirely of these thin staves or slabs.

The present invention therefore contemplates silo construction including conversion staves or slabs, the upper portions of which are of a thickness equal to the commonly used thin staves or slabs, while the lower portion of each conversion stave is of greater thickness, whereby a silo may be built of thicker staves or slabs up to a certain point, at which a tier of the conversion staves is placed in the wall, above which the silo may be built of the usual thinner staves or slabs.

Another object is to provide such conversion staves or slabs each of which has an inclined surface joining the upper thin portion and the lower thick portion of the stave.

A further object is to provide such conversion staves in a plurality of shapes in which the inclined surfaces are located at various heights, whereby when they are placed in the wall of a silo or similar structure, in staggered relation conforming to the arrangement of the staves in the silo, the inclined surfaces of the conversion staves will form a continuous, annular, inclined surface around the wall of the silo.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawings and following description, or which may be later referred to, may be attained by constructing the improved silo structure in the manner hereinafter described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical} longitudinal sect on through a silo constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 an edge elevation of one of the 1mproved conversion staves;

Fig. 3 a similar view of. the secondv shape of conversion stave;

Fig. 4 a similar view of a third shape of conversion stave;

Fig. 5 a top end view of one of the conversion staves;

Fig. 6 a transverse section through the upper portion of any one of the conversion. staves, taken as on the line"66, Figs. 2, 3 or 4, and Fig. 7 a similar section through the lower portion of any one of the conversion staves, takenas on the line 7-1, of Figs. 2, 3 or4.

The improved silo structure may be built upon any suitable foundation, as indicated at Was in usual and well known practice, and, as is, customary in such structures, the staves or slabs are laid in vertical courses with the joints b3. tween staves in adjacent courses staggered'so as to be located at one-third and two-thirds. of the height of the staves in the adjacent ver-,

tical courses on each side thereof.

The lower portion of the structure is built of slabs II, which are relatively thick, as best shown in cross section in Fig. 1, and which, because of their increased weight, may be of less height than the usual, relatively thin staves now commonly used.

Although it is not the intention to limit the invention to any particular thickness or proportion, these thick staves may be 20 inches high and 4 inches thick, as compared with the.

length, thick staves H,,upward to the point, where it is desired to convert to the thinner wall section, at which point the conversion staves I2, I20; and lZb, shown in detail in Figs. 2,, 3 and 4, are placed in the wall, upon the upper ends of the staves II in the manner shown in Fig. 1.

The lower end !3 of each of the conversion staves 12, [2a and l2bis of the same thickness as the slabs H, and the upper end 14 of each of these conversion staves is of reduced thickness; equal to the thickness of the usual thin staves commonly used for such structures.

The conversion stave I2 is of the same thickness from its upper end, to a point l5 located near its lower, thickenedend and is then provided, on one side, with the, inclined surface The conversion stave [2a, shown in Fig. 3, is of the same thickness from its upper end [4 to a point l5a, substantially midway between the top and bottom thereof, and is then provided on one side with the inclined surface lBa, the lower portion I! of this stave being of uniform thickness to the lower end I3.

The conversion stave I2?) is of the same thickness from its upper end I4 to a point I5b, spaced slightly below its upper end, and is then inclined on one side, as at [6b, and the remaining portion ill) of this stave is of uniform thickness to the lower end 13 thereof.

With this construction it will be seen that when the conversion staves are properly positioned, as shown in Fig. l, the inclined surfaces I6, I 6a and I6!) thereof form a continuous, downwardly and inwardly inclined, annular surface around the interior of the silo.

It should be understood that instead of having the inclined surfaces l6, Ilia and I6!) upon the inner sides of the conversion staves, theseinclined surfaces may, if desired, be provided upon the outer sides of the conversion staves.

However, the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 is preferable, since this provides a substantially cylindrical outer surface, whereby the usual hoops l8 may be of the same diameter throughout the height of the silo structure whereas, if

the inclined offset were on the outside of the silo wall, smaller hoops would have to be used above the conversion staves.

The side edges 19 of the conversion staves will preferably converge inwardly, as is customary in the construction of such staves, in order that a substantially cylindrical wall may be built therefrom, and are provided with the usual interlocking tongues 20 and grooves 21, as in usual practice.

Above the conversion staves the structure may be continued to the desired height with the usual thin staves or slabs which are of the same thickness as the upper ends M of the conversion staves. These staves used for the upper portion of the structure may be the usual relatively thin, long staves now commonly used for building silos and the like and are indicated at 22 in Fig. 1.

In order to break the joints at one-third and two-thirds of the height of the staves, it is necessary that shorter staves of two different lengths be used in starting the courses above the conversion staves.

As shown in Fig. l, a full length stave 22 is placed upon the top of each conversion stave l2, a somewhat shorter stave 22a, is placed upon the top of each conversion stave I211 and a still shorter stave 22b is placed upon the top of each conversion stave I22), and the remainder of the structure is completed with the full length, thin staves 22 to the top thereof, which is necessarily finished off alternately with full length staves 22. two-thirds length staves 23 and one-third length staves 24, so as to provide a flat, upper surface to the wall, upon which any suitable roof structure may be mounted.

With this construction it is possible to build a silo or similar structure of considerably greater height than can be safely done with the usual thin staves, such as indicated at 22, as the lower portion of the wall, which carries the weight of the entire structure above, may be built to a considerable height with the relatively thick slabs, at which point the conversion staves may be inserted into the wall and the structure continued for some considerable height above with the usual thin staves, producing a more rigid and safer structure of greater height.

I claim:

1. A substantially cylindrical wall structure comprising a lower portion formed of vertical courses of relatively thick staves extending to a point spaced considerably above the bottom of the wall, the staves in adjacent vertical courses being staggered relative to each other, an annular row of conversion staves located upon the top of the vertical courses of said relatively thick staves and being staggered relative to each other, each conversion stave having a lower end of the same thickness as said relatively thick staves, an upper straight portion of considerably less thickness and an inclined surface on one side, at least some of the conversion staves having lower straight portions of the same thickness as said relatively thick staves and an upper portion of the structure formed of vertical courses of relatively thin staves located uponv the upper ends of the conversion staves, said relatively thin staves being of the same thickness as the upper ends of the conversion staves.

2. A substantially cylindrical wall structure comprising a lower portion formed of vertical courses of staggered relatively thick staves extending to a point spaced considerably above the bottom of the wall, the staves in adjacent vertical courses being staggered relative to each other, an annular row of conversion staves located upon the top of the vertical courses of said relatively thick staves and being staggered relative to each other, each conversion stave having a lower end of the same thickness as said relatively thick staves, an upper straight portion of considerably less thickness and an inclined surface on one side, said inclined surfaces being located at various heights upon the conversion staves whereby they will form a continuous, inclined, annular surface around said cylindrical wall structure at least some of the conversion staves having lower straight portions of the same thickness as said relatively thick staves, and an upper portion of the structure formed of vertical courses of staggered relatively thin staves located upon the upper ends of the conversion staves, said relatively thin staves being of the same thickness as the upper ends of the conversion staves.

3. A substantially cylindrical wall structure comprising a lower portion formed of vertical courses of relatively thick staves extending to a point spaced considerably above the bottom of the wall, the staves in adjacent vertical courses being staggered relative to each other, an annular row of conversion staves located upon the top of the vertical courses of said relatively thick staves and being staggered relative to each other, each conversion stave having a lower end of the same thickness as said relatively thick staves, an upper straight portion of considerably less thickness and an inclined surface on its outer sides, at least some of the conversion staves having lower straight portions of the same thickness as said relatively thick staves and an upper portion of the structure formed of vertical courses of relatively thin staves located upon the upper ends of the conversion staves, said relatively thin staves being of the same thickness as the upper ends of the conversion staves.

4. A substantially cylindrical Wall structure comprising a lower portion formed of vertical courses of relatively short, thick staves extending to a point spaced considerably above the bottom of the wall, the staves in adjacent vertical courses being staggered relative to each other, an annular row of conversion staves located upon the top of the vertical courses of said relatively thick staves and being staggered relative to each other, each conversion stave having a lower end 5. A substantially cylindrical wall structure comprising a lower portion formed of vertical courses of relatively short, thick staves extending to a point spaced considerably above the bottom of the wall, the staves in adjacent vertical courses being staggered relative to each other, an annular row of conversion staves located upon the top of the vertical courses of said relatively thick staves and being staggered relative to each other, each conversion stave having a lower end of the same thickness as said relatively thick staves, an upper straight portion of considerably less thickness and an inclined surface on its outer side, at least some of the conversion staves having lower straight portions of the same thickness as said relatively thick staves and an upper portion of the structure formed of vertical courses of relatively thin, long, staves located upon the upper ends of the conversion staves, said relatively thin staves being of the same thickness as the upper ends of the conversion staves.

6. A substantially cylindrical wall structure comprising a lower portion formed of vertical courses of staggered relatively short, thick staves extending to a point spaced considerably above the bottom of the wall, the staves in adjacent vertical courses being staggered relative to each other, an annular row of conversion staves located upon the top of the vertical courses of said relatively thick staves and being staggered relative to each other, each conversion stave having a lower end of the same thickness as said relatively thick staves, an upper straight portion of considerably less thickness and an inclined surface on its outer side, said inclined surfaces being located at various heights upon the conversion staves whereby they will form a continuous, inclined, annular surface around said cylindrical wall structure, at least some of the conversion staves having lower straight portions of the same thickness as said relatively thick staves and an upper portion of the structure formed of vertical courses of staggered relatively thin, long, staves located upon the upper ends of the conversion staves, said relatively thin staves being of the same thickness as the upper ends of the conversion staves.

GLENN V. GLADVILLE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 714,363 Cleveland et al Nov. 15, 1902 1,350,434 Barness Aug. 24, 1920 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 220,150 Switzerland June 16, 1942 

